Come Back to Me
by The Boulevard's Belle
Summary: He had been overlooking her. It's not until she's gone that he realizes... A/A of course.  I'll love you forever if you review! Rated T for mild language.
1. Details

**A/N: Sick of me yet? I'm sorry! XD **

**This is not my best work. Not by a long shot. If you have never read anything I've written, please do not assume all my work is like this. DX**

**Disclaimer! I don't own the marvelous film Inception. It's Nolan's.**

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He hadn't noticed the way she hummed while she worked. He hadn't ever seen the way she'd stick out her tongue when she was concentrating. He had never noticed the way she tapped her foot when she was bored.

All in all, he had never noticed _her_.

Arthur was sitting alone in the warehouse the night Ariadne left. She claimed that she couldn't do it anymore; too much to lose. She didn't want to leave herself in the dreams like Cobb.

Arthur had never considered his feelings towards Ariadne. At first, it seemed as if she had feelings for Cobb. But Arthur didn't know the truth. He never saw the way she'd look at him. He never saw the way Ariadne would watch while Arthur was working. He hadn't noticed the way she'd listen to every word he said and take it to heart.

Arthur never saw the way Ariadne smiled after they kissed in the dream.

He simply never knew. Arthur had been too wrapped up in the details to notice the simplest things. Hell, Arthur didn't see what was standing right in front of him.

So, as he fiddled with his totem as the sounds of the dripping faucet echoed through the gutted warehouse, he couldn't help but worry about what the future held. Would he be able to find a new architect? He felt guilty for only thinking of work, but then again, Ariadne wouldn't want the team to suffer.

The drips weren't even a steady beat, which bothered Arthur to his wit's end.

He glanced towards Ariadne's workplace in hopes to get his mind off of things. It was covered in the clutter she'd left, with files on Fischer and the few other marks they'd worked with. A scale model lay on the floor, waiting to be completed, but it never would.

The clutter had annoyed him at first, but something inside of Arthur was relaxed at the sight of the messy desk. It made him believe that Ariadne was truly in the next room, or maybe out on a walk. With that work place messy, he didn't feel so alone.

"Ariadne?" He called, actually fooled by the illusion. Arthur always thought he was better than that.

It was the moment when Ariadne didn't reply that something inside of him clicked.

Ariadne was _gone._

Ariadne was not coming back, and he hadn't done anything to stop it. Arthur had let her walk out that door without giving her a second thought... or chance.

He stood up from his chair and made the long walk over to Ariadne's work spot. He brushed his hand over one of her drawings, marveling over the details. Arthur hadn't truly realized how detailed an architect had to be.

All at once, he wished he had noticed. He wished he had noticed the way her hair framed her face. He wished he had noticed the way her smile could light up a whole room. He wished he had noticed the true art she had been creating.

Arthur wished he a noticed all sooner; _before_ Ariadne had left.

There was nothing he could do. She was too strong for him to bring her back.

He sighed and mumbled aloud, "It's worth a shot."

So, Arthur picked up the phone without hesitation. He dialed the number that he had subconsciously memorized.

One ring.

Two rings.

He stopped breathing.

Three rings.

"Hello?" Her voice poured out of the speaker, and Arthur's breath returned. The sound of Ariadne's voice was enough to bring him out of his misery.

"Ariadne? Can you come back? We need you." Arthur whispered.

She sighed with uncertainty and he collapsed into her chair.

_No... please_.

"Ariadne. _I_ need you. Please. Just... come back to me."

* * *

**A/N: Well well well.**

**I usually don't post author's notes at the ends of anything, but I'll make an exception.**

**If you, yes you, wish for this to be more than a oneshot, you must let me know.**

**Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pass out.**


	2. Mirrors

**A/N: Here it is! I'm so so so so sorry for the delay! I was out of the country, so I had minimal time to write. :/ But here's Ariadne's POV.**

**Speaking of Ariadne, am I the only one who didn't know what her name was until AFTER the movie? I mean, come on. I think they said it all of twice during the movie. I thought she was Ariana during the last half… **

**Enough rambling! Here is part two of "Come Back to Me!"**

**Disclaimer! I do not own Inception. Nor do I own "Come Home" by OneRepublic feat. Sara Barellies. That's where the lovely little lyric comes from at the end of this. I own nothing except the five boxes of Nerds I chugged to stay awake.(: No, I have not vomited… yet.**

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She loved the way he'd listen to her thoughts. She loved the elegant clothes he wore. He loved the way he spoke. She even loved the way he'd roll his totem in his hand when nervous.

What she didn't love was how hard it was to get over him...

"It's been five hours since I walked, and I still can't get him out of my mind."

"You need to drink more."

"Excuse me?"

It was at that moment that Ariadne regretted calling her older sister Jade. Being that Jade was her only sister; Ariadne had assumed the twenty-six year old was her only help. Thus, Ariadne sat on her bed and showered her sister with the "Arthur issue." It reminded both sisters of the old times, when boys were merely crushes in their science classes.

"All I'm saying is that you need to relax more, Ari." Jade's tired voice crackled over the phone, trying to change the subject. Ariadne knew her sister all too well.

"What would a single mother of two knew about relaxation?" Ariadne queried, and immediately felt guilty; Cobb was a single father of two.

"You'd be surprised," Jade sighed, but Ariadne could detect a smile in her voice. "Look, Ariadne. If he were worth it, he'd have the balls to tell you how he really feels."

Ariadne sucked in a breath. Did he even _have_ feelings? If he even did, why did he let her go?

"But Jay-"

"No buts. You need to get over him."

"What the hell do you think I've been doing for the past five hours?" Ariadne practically screamed into her cell phone. She was right. The five hours post leaving had been filled with pacing, nervous sketching, and frequent totem drops. Nothing worked, and Ariadne was at the breaking point.

Arthur invaded her every thought. She'd make a bowl of cereal and wonder if he ate cereal. She'd turn on the TV and wonder if he ever watched television. Ariadne would walk past a mirror and wonder what Arthur saw in her.

In Arthur, Ariadne saw a clever and intriguing man who knew where he was going in life. Things were always stable with him. Arthur was a man of details, a man of sophistication.

In short, Arthur was everything Ariadne had been looking for.

Sure, there had been others, but none had ever challenged Ariadne the way Arthur did. And if you knew Ariadne, you knew that she _loved_ a challenge.

"I don't know what to tell you…" Jade breathed, popping Ariadne's thought bubble. Irritation was heavy in the elder sister's voice. "I mean, if you miss him _that_ much, you should go back to work."

"It's not that easy, Jay." Ariadne grumbled and fell back on her pillow. She wouldn't (or couldn't) possibly explain the nature of her job to Jade.

"Whatever, Ari. I just think that-"

All of a sudden, Ariadne's phone began to start beeping furiously. She pulled it away from her ear and shot upwards.

"Office" the phone's screen read. Ariadne's breathing stopped. She had secretly been hoping this would happen, but Jade had quickly talked her out of it. What would she do now?

"Jade? I gotta go. Someone's calling," Ariadne whispered, distractedly. "G'bye."

"It's not him, is it? Lord, Ariadne. Don't pick it up!"

"_Goodbye _Jade."

Ariadne didn't even wait for her sister's reply. She hit a button on her cell to the end the call, her fingers shaking. Her mind could barely tell her body to function.

"Hello?" She said, surprising herself.

_I'm practically brain dead, for crissakes! _ Ariadne inwardly screamed, her toungue going dry.

"Ariadne? Can you come back? We need you." Arthur's extremely adorable voice brought her back to reality… until she realized what he was asking.

There was no way. Ariadne knew the consequences. She saw them in Cobb. She saw them in the mirror. Is that was Arthur saw in her?

"Ariadne. _I_ need you. Please. Just… come back to me."

_**Everything I can't be is everything you should be**_

_**And that's why I need you here…**_

_**

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**A/N: Gah! Another after the fic note? Ugh. **

**Part three?**


	3. Luck

**A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry that I didn't publish this sooner. I really don't have a good excuse. High school's been kicking my ass. Please don't hate me, because I love you all. I'm not really sure how I like the way I excecuted this, but I hope you enjoy it. This is the final installment for "Come Back to Me", and again, I really hope you enjoy it. Please review either way. (:**

**Disclaimer! I do not own Inception. I honestly only have ten bucks to my name. XD**

* * *

She hung up.

Her end of the line cut short after Arthur confessed himself. Just like that. Once again, all Arthur could hear was the uneven sound of the sink dripping.

In the warehouse, he yanked the corded phone away and stared at it. He found himself wondering what the hell had just happened. How unfortunate that even he didn't know the answer.

He went out on a limb to express his feelings. She didn't reciprocate the feelings… over the phone.

But Arthur didn't know the truth. He didn't know what Ariadne was feeling as his heart began to snap.

"Dammit!" He cursed, throwing the plastic telephone across the warehouse.

Arthur could fend himself from hundreds of projections, but he couldn't keep his heart from breaking.

Suddenly, the walls started closing in on him. Arthur felt the room shrink and his breathing became shallow. Sweat began to pour down his face. He hardly ever sweated.

There was only thing that was clear.

Arthur had to get the hell out of there.

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Ariadne needed time.

She couldn't answer him right away, so she ran. She hung up the phone in some sick attempt to buy herself time, and she immediately regretted it. But it wasn't like she could call Arthur back and apologize.

She then remembered why she left in the first place as she slid off her bed, her body shaking. Ariadne had left to make sure she didn't lose herself, but here she was, about to lose something that at that moment mattered more than getting lost in Limbo. He mattered more than anything Ariadne could think of.

Arthur.

Arthur mattered and she was about to let him slip through her fingers.

Ariadne found herself standing in front of her bathroom mirror. Her dark curls were pulled into a messy ponytail and her t-shirt had a large coffee stain on the front. Per usual, she wondered how Arthur would react to this sight.

It was at that moment that Ariadne realized Arthur wanted, if not needed, her to be with him, no matter what she looked like. Arthur, the usually stoic point man, had confessed something incredibly deep to Ariadne, and she had no idea what to do. It made no sense considering that she had felt the same way for months.

What the hell was going on?

Ariadne stared into her own eyes in the mirror and considered the most rational option to handle the situation.

There wasn't one.

* * *

It was raining, although Arthur didn't notice the horrible weather until he stepped outside onto the Paris streets.

He didn't know where he was going. It didn't matter.

Arthur kept wondering if she knew. He wondered if Ariadne knew how much she meant to him, how much he needed her. There were so many unanswered questions and the Point Man couldn't handle it.

He angrily turned a corner, practically slamming into a young woman running in the other direction. It was too dark to even see her face and Arthur was too busy to care anyways.

"S-Sorry," Arthur grunted as he gently pushed her to the side. He didn't even give the woman another glance before storming away.

"Hey, you!" She called out to him in an all too familiar voice.

He stopped, his soiled dress shoes squeaking slightly on the pavement. Arthur turned around slowly to face the truth he'd been avoiding for months.

There stood Ariadne, sopping wet and shivering, giving him a small smile.

Arthur stared and she stared back for what seemed like centuries. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, but neither could she. Neither took notice the rain anymore, no matter how hard it was falling.

Much to Ariadne's surprise, Arthur was the first to move. He moved forwards and minimized the space between the two dreamers, his eyes never leaving Ariadne's.

"Arthur I didn't mean-"

He stopped her by gently touching her lips with his forefinger. Her dark eyes opened wide. He didn't need any explanation; the fact that she came back is enough evidence.

Before Ariadne could question anything, his lips were pressed against hers, his hands gently cupping her face. She quickly held his shoulders in attempt to steady herself from the initial shock, but Ariadne could hardly keep balance. Arthur smiled against her lips and dropped his hands to her torso. For the first time, something felt right for both the Point Man and the Architect, even if they couldn't figure out exactly what.

When they broke apart for air a few seconds later, Arthur studied Ariadne. Her gorgeous curls were damp and her clothing was anything but fancy, but Arthur had never seen such a beautiful woman.

Ariadne watched him as well. Even if Arthur's suit was ruined and he looked like he hadn't slept in days, Ariadne had never been so attracted to anyone in her life. She couldn't help but smile as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Hey Arthur?" She mumbled, having made her decision.

"Yes?"

"I think you just convinced me to come back."

"Come back to work?" Arthur's eyebrows rose before Ariadne wrapped her arms around his waist and burrowed into his chest.

He lightly kissed the top of her head and she answered, "I'm coming back… to you."

* * *

Ariadne stands in front of her mirror once again. She leans over the counter and bites her lip. It's early in the morning and she hardly looks presentable in a man's button up shirt and no makeup. Immediately feeling self-conscious, Ariadne groans.

The bathroom door squeaks open and a suave man sneaks up behind Ariadne. He wraps his arms around her, his head resting on her shoulder.

"What're you doing, love?" Arthur whispers into Ariadne's ear. Her chocolate eyes meet his hazel ones in the mirror and she smiles.

"I look wonderful this morning." She caustically snorts, getting a small chuckle from Arthur.

"I think you look beautiful."

Ariadne turns around and puts her hands on her hips dubiously. "_Really?_"

"Really," Arthur kisses her gently. "Now let's go have breakfast, hm?" He laces his fingers with hers and starts walking her out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen. She giggles uncontrollably the whole time.

He never thought he had a shot. Somehow, he gets to make her breakfast. She never thought she'd stop dreaming of him. Yet somehow, she gets to wake up in his arms.

All in all, neither can believe how lucky they are, and right now, that's all the perfection they need.


End file.
